1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of protecting against sunburn.
2. Description of the Background Art
Exposure to direct sunlight is known to be harmful to human skin. In the short term, there is a risk of severe and painful sunburn. Additionally, exposure to direct sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer, and can cause visible degradation of skin appearance over time.
Despite knowledge of the harmful effects of direct sunlight on human skin, many people continue to subject their skin to such exposure, for example, during outdoor sports such as swimming, boating, tennis, golf and the like.
In societies where tanned bodies are fashionable, some persons intentionally sunbathe to expose their skin to the sun's radiation, thereby promoting cosmetic tanning of the skin.
Chemical sunscreen products are known in the art which, when applied to the skin, reduce the risk of sunburn, skin cancer and visible degradation of skin appearance. However, when such chemical sunscreen products are used, no protection is provided to those missed areas of the skin to which the sunscreen inadvertently is not applied. Furthermore, protection is lost to skin areas from which sunscreen has been washed off by water, diluted or carried off by perspiration, or rubbed off by some other means. Under such circumstances, severe and painful sunburn can repeatedly result, despite conscientious use of sunscreen. Such repeated sunburn accelerates degradation of skin appearance, and substantially increases the risk of skin cancer and death.
In view of the above, it is quite apparent that there remains a critical need in the art for new and improved methods of protecting against sunburn.